Better Neighbourhood Services Fund

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund will benefit the people of Midlothian.

Ms Margaret Curran: Midlothian is not part of the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund. Although the Executive recognised that all authorities have disadvantaged communities, in order to maximise the impact of the fund, resources were distributed amongst local authorities with above average proportions of income support recipients and, in the case of rural authorities, those with the highest proportion of income support recipients together with a high level of population dispersal.

Energy

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department of Trade and Industry on its recent consultation paper Energy Policy: Key Issues for Consultation relating to (a) energy efficiency, (b) renewable energy and (c) energy in transport.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to S1W-26000 on 29 May 2002.

NHS Staff

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS trust provides on-site childcare facilities for employees.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on the provision of on-site childcare facilities by NHS trusts is not held centrally, but should be available from NHS trusts locally. The Scottish Executive is committed to family friendly policies and encourages all NHSScotland employers to adopt and support appropriate childcare policies.

Public Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of Transport Direct is.

Lewis Macdonald: Transport Direct is envisaged as a comprehensive national public transport information service available on the internet, digital TV and public access terminals. It will allow people to plan their journeys and compare routes and prices. It will ultimately cover travel by all modes - air, car, train, taxi, tram, underground, bus, coach, ferry, cycle, walk - and, most importantly, a mixture of these modes.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications under the European Convention on Human Rights are for any local authority refusing to grant a hearing before a planning committee to any objectors to an application under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and whether it has been consulted by any local authority on any such implications.

Lewis Macdonald: This is entirely a matter for the local authorities concerned. We have not been consulted by any local authority about this issue.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any disadvantages for the generation of wind power will accrue as a result of the extension to Scotland of the New Electricity Trading Arrangements and what any such disadvantages will be.

Lewis Macdonald: Although this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Executive is working closely with DTI and the industry regulator, Ofgem, on the development of new electricity trading arrangements for Scotland from 2004. We will aim to ensure that these new arrangements will work for the benefit of Scottish electricity consumers and all other participants in the Scottish market, including renewables generators.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in relation to off-shore wind farms and whether it has been consulted about any such farms.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish ministers have powers to issue all relevant consents and licences for off-shore wind farms proposed in waters adjacent to Scotland. Officials have had discussions with Natural Power on the scope of an Environmental Impact Assessment for their proposal to build a 60MW wind farm in the Solway Firth at Robin Rigg.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role or powers it has in respect of the licensing of off-shore wind farms.

Lewis Macdonald: To construct or operate a generation station off-shore, a developer would require a licence under Part II of the Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985 and consent under section 34 of the Coastal Protection Act 1949. At present consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 is required if the capacity of the power station exceeds 50 MW. We are considering proposals to reduce this limit to 1 MW, in which case we will lay a draft order before Parliament to effect such a change. The Scottish ministers have responsibility for issuing these licences and consents on all developments in waters adjacent to Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities may treat applications for wind farms under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 as if such applications were planning applications under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Acts.

Lewis Macdonald: A determination on an application made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 (if the capacity of the power station exceeds 50 MW) would fall to the Scottish ministers. Under the terms of this act, the Scottish ministers are obliged to consult with the local authorities before arriving at a determination. The local authorities undertake their own consultation before making a recommendation to the Scottish ministers. This consultation process is entirely a matter for the local authorities.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the supplementary question to question S1O-5128 by Lewis Macdonald on 2 May 2002, whether the whole net surplus of £174 million from the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes will be paid out to pensioners, and, if not, what sum will be withheld from pensioners and to whom that sum will be paid.

Lewis Macdonald: As at 22 March 2002, the Report and Accounts of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes showed the total value of the surplus as £174 million net of tax. HM Treasury will retain £50 million, and have agreed following representations from Scottish ministers to provide £118 million for the Scottish Executive to disperse to pensioners. Scottish ministers will make further representations to HM Treasury to retain the additional surplus (£6 million at 22 March) for disbursement to the former Scottish Transport Group pension scheme members.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what enquiries it has made and what information it has received on the tax liability of the recipients of payments under the distribution of the National Bus Company pension scheme; whether these payments were free of tax; whether copies of all relevant correspondence will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, and whether it will meet the members of the Scottish Bus Group Pensioners Action Committee who submitted petition PE500 and who appeared before the Public Petitions Committee on 7 May 2002 to discuss points of concern raised at that meeting.

Lewis Macdonald: The tax liability of individuals under the National Bus Company (NBC) distribution will depend on the method of distribution determined by the trustees of the NBC pension schemes in individual circumstances. Some pension scheme members will receive an element of their share of the distribution in tax-free payments as well as increased pension benefits. This is allowable in the NBC case because payments are being made directly from a pension scheme. This is a matter for the trustees of the NBC pension schemes and the Inland Revenue.

  I will respond to the Petitions Committee on matters they have raised with me following the meeting in question.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has on whether any legal challenge in regard to the proposed distribution and mode of distribution of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes surplus would delay interim payments; whether it is aware of any legal action which postponed interim payments to persons entitled to pensions from the National Bus Company pension scheme, and whether all relevant correspondence relating to any such action will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Lewis Macdonald: No legal entitlement to the surplus funds on the part of the former Scottish Transport Group pension schemes members has been established.

  It would be inappropriate for the Executive to provide information which would harm the frankness and candour of discussion and advice, including between the Scottish Executive and legal advisers.

Skye Bridge

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has investigated the costs of buying out the concession to collect tolls on the Skye Bridge; if so, how much such a buyout would cost, and whether a buyout would represent best value for money.

Lewis Macdonald: No. It is not the Executive's policy to buy out the concession contract, nor do we have the information necessary to calculate the full costs of so doing.

Tourism

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who the VisitScotland ambassadors for sport are as referred to in action point 11 of its Tourism Framework for Action 2002-05 .

Mike Watson: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland.

Traffic

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether congestion charging will or will not be in the interests of the retail sector and other businesses in Edinburgh, detailing the reasons for its position on the matter.

Lewis Macdonald: Congestion charging schemes will be introduced only where there are firm proposals to reduce local congestion and improve public transport. We believe that schemes which meet these requirements will be in the interests of business, especially in the longer term.

Traffic

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any information on the effect of congestion charging on (a) the retail sector and (b) other types of business in Edinburgh and, if not, whether it will undertake a study on this issue, detailing the reasons for its position on this matter.

Lewis Macdonald: The City of Edinburgh Council commissioned a consultant's report as part of the development of its New Transport Initiative, to look at the potential impacts of congestion charging schemes. This report is in the public domain.

Victim Support

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what stage it has reached in its roll-out of Victim Liaison Offices across Scotland.

Colin Boyd QC: I am pleased to say that today I am officially opening the first major operational Victim Information and Advice (VIA) Office in Glasgow. We are taking this opportunity to re-launch the Victim Liaison Office with a name which more accurately reflects the aims and objectives of the service. I should add that I will also formally welcome Ms Sue Moody as the first Director of VIA. Ms Moody will take forward VIA's focus on providing information to victims promptly and effectively.